Just when you thought ic engines were at the end of the line…

[nomadpete]

O.K. please post a pic of your camper, over at "off topic". It's a subject that's a long way off flying.

[onetrack]

In 1994, I smashed the back window on my 80 series Landcruiser on the Newman-Marble Bar Rd, just North of Nullagine, while I was towing my car-carrying trailer!

The gibbers on that section or road were huge, and all it took was one big gibber to hit the 50x50 RHS at the front of the trailer tray, at exactly the right angle, to bounce back and up, and smash the back window!

It cost me $800 back then, to replace the back window! - more cost than a windscreen!!

[Old Koreelah]

3 hours ago, nomadpete said:

O.K. please post a pic of your camper, over at "off topic". It's a subject that's a long way off flying.

NP I totally agree; this thread has wandered a little away from aviation.

Meanwhile, the busiest thread on this forum has even less to do with flying and my efforts to drag the discussion over to “Off Topic” have had little effect.

[facthunter]

You can't win them ALL they say. Nev

[facthunter]

Anyhow maybe Onetrack was really flying when the big gibber did the damage. Availability of rear windows is not as good as windscreens either.

   With the roads being so congested maybe the plane may be more attractive. You'll be travelling lighter unless you get  something with VH on the side. Nev

[Old Koreelah]

2 hours ago, facthunter said:

… With the roads being so congested maybe the plane may be more attractive. You'll be travelling lighter unless you get  something with VH on the side. Nev

That’s deserves a thread all its own, Nev.

 

How to travel super-light. I like to browse bicycle shops for light gear. That’s where I got my helmet, brakes, drink-holders and a few other bits. 

My accommodation is a 1978-vintage Big W tent my wife cut down to fit over the left wing. I carry a Shellite stove and cooking kit given to us as a wedding present 43 years ago. All the camping, emergency gear and tools come to about 10kg.

[turboplanner]

6 hours ago, facthunter said:

Anyhow maybe Onetrack was really flying when the big gibber did the damage. Availability of rear windows is not as good as windscreens either.

 

When the kids were young I did a lot of trips from Broken Hill to Innamincka then down the Stzelecki track to Lydhurst and up to Marree, and around the campfires the vehicles, trailers, tools etc got a minute going over on how to prevent the mishap the person has just experienced. The first stonegards were three truck mudflaps across the back of the towing vehicle usually touching the fround on bump. These fell out of favour quickly because they seemed to flick stones up and break windows. Over the years the guards seem to habe morphed into a canvas/plastic shield along each side of the trailer A Frame canted out at the top which bats away most of them. When we got to the dirt our travel mode went from getting somewhere to looking around for some excitement, so our speed dropped to about 40 - 60 km/hr and for years we had no shields and no breakages, but on one trip up the Birdsville track which had a carpet of big missiles we shattered a rear window halfway to Birdsville. I cautioned the kids not to slam the doors, and always to have one window slightly ajar before closing to prevent blowing the shattered window out because there was going to be no plywood until we got to Broken Hill.A week or so later, with the kids heartily sick of me yelling just as they heaved a door rady to slam it we made Broken Hill so I stopped outside town and swept a bucket or two of red dirt and bulldust out of the rear and the floor pans. I forgot about opening a window, and gave the drivers door a good slam and POOF!!!! shattered glass all over the place. The so and sos cheered!